Hello everyone, I am Xiaozhao Jun.
Today, I saw a very shocking diagram in the WeChat group:
Those who are in the know should understand. This is the diagram of the entire mobile communication network architecture and protocol specifications by 3GPP. In simpler terms, it is the complete architecture diagram of the core network from 2G to 5G. It displays almost all network elements, as well as the interfaces and protocols between them.
I did some research, and the author of this diagram is a Japanese netizen (Twitter: @nickel0), who completed the drawing in November 2021.
I found the source files he posted on GitHub, available in three formats: jpg（pixels：6549×3684）、pdf、ppt.
Yes, that’s right, he drew the diagram using PowerPoint, which is very impressive. (I also have always used PowerPoint to draw, but compared to his diagram, it is hard to catch up.)
Without further ado, here is the link to share:
https://pan.baidu.com/s/1aQRgKkJ2W_zn3lvAWTLG1Q
█ A Question About the 5G Core Network
Additionally, a reader asked me a question yesterday: Why does China Mobile separate the construction of the toC and toB 5G core networks?
I was also puzzled by this question.
After consulting and discussing with industry experts, I received a relatively authoritative answer, and I would like to share it with you:
The toC 5G core network, aimed at consumer (mobile phone) users, was built earlier.
China Mobile has planned multiple cloud resource pools nationwide, and they are constructed and expanded in phases. Each resource pool is responsible for several provinces, which essentially serves as the physical carrier for the 5G core network elements.
The network cloud resource pools (main suppliers are Huawei, ZTE, Inspur, H3C, Ronglian, etc.)
In the process of developing 5G services, the existing mobile user services are distributed to the cloud.
By the time of developing the toB 5G phase, operators had accumulated some experience and were better prepared. During construction, it was more macro and overall, with a nationwide rollout.
Some network elements are built according to major regions, such as UDM and PCF, while others are built according to provinces, such as AMF, SMF, and CHF.
In fact, the toB 5G core network and the toC 5G core network are both on the same resource pool. In other words, physically, they are together.
Why don’t the virtualized network elements of toB and toC share resources?
On one hand, it is because the traffic models for toB and toC are different (watching dramas online and VR quality inspection are obviously not the same), and the characteristics of the services are also different. Therefore, not sharing network elements is beneficial for better configuration and deployment.
On the other hand, the teams responsible for toB and toC services are also different. Distinguishing network elements will also make management responsibilities clearer.
From the operators’ perspective, the scale of 5G for toC is foreseeable. After all, there is a limited population, and no matter how much it develops, it will only be at this scale.
However, the scale of 5G for toB will far exceed that of toC, and this scale is unpredictable. Therefore, when building toB, operators also reserved a large development space. This space is much larger than that of toC.
However, currently, due to various reasons, the development of toB 5G is not very smooth, and the scale has not risen as quickly as expected. This has led to operators’ resource construction possibly being a bit ahead of schedule.
This is also a question that operators are reflecting on. In the future, adjustments may be made accordingly.
Alright, that’s about it. The architecture of the operators’ existing 5G network is not something they are willing to disclose, so there is very little information available. If there is official information revealed later, I will share it with you as soon as possible.
Thank you! Wish you all a pleasant weekend!
